MULTI-COMPONENT FIBERS HAVING ENHANCED REVERSIBLE THERMAL PROPERTIES AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURING THEREOF
Multi-component fibers having enhanced reversible thermal properties and methods of manufacturing thereof are described. In one embodiment, a multi-component fiber includes a fiber body formed from a set of elongated members, and at least one of the set of elongated members includes a temperature regulating material having a latent heat of at least 40 J/g and a transition temperature in the range of 22° C. to 40° C. The temperature regulating material provides thermal regulation based on at least one of absorption and release of the latent heat at the transition temperature. The multi-component fiber can be formed via a melt spinning process or a solution spinning process and can be used or incorporated in various products where a thermal regulating property is desired. For example, the multi-component fiber can be used in textiles, apparel, footwear, medical products, containers and packagings, buildings, appliances, and other products.
1 . A fabric, comprising:
a plurality of multi-component fibers blended together, each of the plurality of multi-component fibers comprising:
a fiber body formed from a plurality of elongated members, at least one of the plurality of elongated members comprising a phase change material having a transition temperature in the range of 22° C. to 40° C., the phase change material providing thermal regulation based on at least one of melting and crystallization of the phase change material at the transition temperature,
wherein the fabric has a latent heat of at least 2 J/g.
2 . The fabric of claim 1 , wherein the phase change material comprises one of a polyethylene glycol, a polyethylene oxide, a polytetramethylene glycol, and a polyester.
3 . The fabric of claim 1 , wherein the phase change material comprises a paraffinic hydrocarbon having from 16 to 22 carbon atoms.
4 . The fabric of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of elongated members are arranged in one of an island-in-sea configuration, a segmented-pie configuration, a core-sheath configuration, a side-by-side configuration, and a striped configuration.
5 . The fabric of claim 1 , wherein the latent heat of the fabric is at least 5 J/g.
6 . The fabric of claim 1 , wherein the latent heat of the fabric is at least 8 J/g.
7 . The fabric of claim 1 , wherein the latent heat of the fabric is at least 11 J/g.
8 . The fabric of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of multi-component fibers are formed via one of a melt spinning process and a solution spinning process.
9 . The fabric of claim 1 , wherein the fabric comprises a plurality of layers, and the plurality of multi-component fibers form an intermediate layer of the plurality of layers.